


Tread Lightly

by aliceihavebeen



Series: Tread Lightly [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mention of Keith and Axha, Slow Build, a bit angsty, there's a happy ending i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 00:53:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16336640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceihavebeen/pseuds/aliceihavebeen
Summary: Shiro was avoiding Keith. That much Keith knew. What he didn't know was why.Shiro and Keith meet for the first time since the lions fell at the last stand, and everything goes wrong. They realize just how fragile they both can be.





	Tread Lightly

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So this is my first attempt at posting a Sheith fanfic. I've written several but this is the first one that I felt was decent enough to share. This is part 1 & 1.5 of 5. I thought about having them as chapters, but I think even though they all tie together, several of them could be read as independent stories, so I decided to post them as a series. I have them nearly finished, and I'll post once I feel the editing process is done.  
> This is my take on post season 7.  
> Song that inspired this series is "Tread Lightly" by Forest Blakk

_And I will tread lightly_  
_You're a bunch of broken pieces that might need_  
_Some putting back together, so don't leave_  
_'Cause I can make it better, tread lightly_

“Shiro?”

“Hey, it’s good to see you up and walking around. How do you feel?”

“I’m okay.” Keith said slowly. It had been almost two weeks since he’d last seen Shiro. One of which he’d been restricted to the infirmary, kept there longer than the rest. Everyone had visited him. Everyone except Shiro.

“How are you?” Keith asked lamely.

“Still getting used to my new arm,” Shiro said, tapping at it with his human hand, “but no complaints.” Shiro continued, smiling and acting his cheerful self. Except it was so obvious just how much of an act it was.

Silence settled around them, quickly turning the corridor they were tucked into humid with tension. It made Keith’s skin itch.

“You weren’t at the memorial unveiling. It was really nice. I didn’t even realize that Adam-” Keith said softly, watching the planes of Shiro’s face. At the mention of Adams name a subtle wave of emotion washed over Shiro’s expression, revealing the cracks, before quickly regaining his façade.

“Yeah. It was hard at first, when I found out.” Shiro replied vaguely, tone implying he wasn’t going to elaborate further.

“I’m sorry.” Keith said, tone remaining soft, like he was trying to make sure he didn’t scare Shiro off.

Shiro nodded, eyes searching the small space before landing on a digital clock on the wall. Keith followed his gaze noting the time.

“Sorry, looks like I gotta get going. I have a meeting with the admiral. It was good seeing you though.” Shiro said smiling, patting him on the shoulder like he did when Keith was a kid.

“Really? Cause I was with her just an hour ago and she said she was taking leave for a few days to go spend time with her family.” Keith replied.

He watched again as the cracks began to widen.

“We were having a meeting before she left.” Shiro said, face and voice straining to maintain.

“She already left.” Keith said. It was a lie, kind of. He was waiting to see if Shiro would call his bluff.

“Huh.” Shiro said with faked confusion. “She must of forgotten. I should probably go call her, it was-”

“Why didn’t you come see me?” Keith asked, voice losing its softness and taking on the harsh desperation Keith could feel rising like bile.

“I’m sorry Keith, I was really busy-”

“Too busy to see Pidge? Or Lance? Or Allura? But somehow not me?”

Keith swallowed, clenching his jaw. He couldn’t pin his feelings to just one emotion. He was angry, and sad, and hurt, and frustrated, and scared.

Shiro wouldn’t look at him.

“They told me you couldn’t have visitors. I’m-”

“Come on. The Shiro I knew could bluff a hell of a lot better than that.” Keith seethed.

The moment it was out of his mouth Keith felt gnawing regret and guilt. Shiro visibly deflated, gazing at the ground.

“I’m sorry, that came out wrong.” Keith said, groaning in frustration. His right hand sweeping up over his face and not so gently griping at his own hair, unable to watch Shiro’s face anymore. After a beat of stony silence he glanced up. Shiro was frozen, his face devoid of color and his eyes focused on Keith. Specifically on Keith’s forehead.

“Um.” Keith said, his hand leaving his hair to rub self consciously at the rough skin below his bangs. Shiro looked like he was about to start crying.

“They said you were okay.” Shiro whispered, slowly approaching Keith with unsteady steps. His hand lifted towards Keith’s face before balling into a fist and dropping at his side.

“I am.” Keith assured, but Shiro was shaking his head. And then Keith realized Shiro was shaking all over, trembling and somehow small.

“Shiro, it’s okay. It’s just a scar. They told me there was no permanent trauma.” Keith reassured, but somehow it just set Shiro off worse. He was crying, biting his lip as he continued to tremble.

“I’m sorry.” Shiro pleaded right before the dam broke.

Keith stood frozen as he watched Shiro collapse in on himself. He’d never seen him like this before. Shiro was always so strong, and so resilient in his eyes. Shiro had been his support, his rock, for so long that to watch him crumble like this made him feel unsteady.

But he knew. This wasn’t about Keith’s battle scars, at least not mostly. This was about all that Shiro had lost. And not just here, on earth. The Galra had taken so much more than just his arm. They took his body, perversing it as their own personal weapon. They took his home, and they took Adam.

Keith acted on instinct, crossing the small space between them. He wrapped one arm around Shiro’s waist and draped the other over his shoulder, hand cupping the back of his head and pulling it down to rest between his neck and shoulder. Shiro instantly reacted, both hands going around Keith’s back and gripping at the coarse fabric of his Garrison uniform.

He didn’t say anything. Shiro continued to sob, his shoulders shaking as he did. Keith spread his fingers that were settled on the back of Shiro’s head, slowly rubbing at the soft, stubbly, white hairs; alternating firm rubbing to lightly scratching. After a while the shaking stopped, Shiro’s breathing was evening out and Keith could tell the worst of his crying had stopped.

“I’m sorry.” Shiro said, muffled by Keith’s clothing, letting out a small shuddering breath.

“I know.” Keith whispered. He was at a loss of what to say. How do you tell someone who’d lost so much that everything was going to be okay without it sounding like a lie? A simple placation?

“I’m sorry.” Shiro repeated, his voice breaking.

“Shiro, I’m here. I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere.” Keith whispered, letting his head rest against Shiro’s.

They were quiet for a moment. Shiro’s grip on Keith had loosened, no longer fisted into his shirt but rather flat against his back, holding him. Against his own will, Keith began to cry. His silent tears rolled slowly down his cheeks, gravity depositing them onto the man cradled against his shoulder.

They had all gone through a lot in the past several years. And they had never had a chance to deal with any of it, causing it to all pile up over time. But it was necessary. It was survival. So much depended on them, and the paladins of Voltron didn’t have the luxury of a good cry after every crisis that happened.

He didn’t know how much time had passed but he eventually heard voices down the hall that connected to the corridor they were in.

“Come on.” Keith said, his voice raspy as he lifted his head, dropping the arm around Shiro’s shoulder but leaving the one around his waist. He quickly wiped the tears on his face with his sleeve. Shiro’s arms dropped but he made no other movement. Keith knew Shiro’s temporary quarters were at the end of the corridor, and gently led him there and then waited at the door for Shiro to unlock it. When he didn’t, Keith sighed and quickly punched in the code. It was the same one Shiro and Adam used. Keith would sneak out of his barracks and crash on their couch a lot as a teenager.

Keith ushered Shiro into the room. It was bigger than the one they were housing him in, but not by a whole lot. It had a full sized fridge in the kitchenette and a couch with a coffee table and a lamp. Keith clicked the lamp on, lowering Shiro onto the couch before kneeling in front of him.

“What are you doing Keith? Shiro suddenly asked, voice hoarse.

Keith glanced up at him, noting his red and swollen eyes. He gave Shiro a lame smile before concentrating on taking Shiro’s shoes off. He carried them into the bedroom and put them in the closet. He went to the kitchen next, not really sure of what he was looking for until he found it. He pulled a bottle of milk from the fridge and started warming it up in a small pan on the single hot plate. He glanced over at Shiro every few seconds, but he never moved.

Keith sat two mugs down on the coffee table, steam rising and carrying the smell of chocolate up. Shiro stared at the mugs for a beat before looking up at Keith. Keith read the question on his face.

“Hot chocolate.” He said with a shrug. Keith was not used to handling these kinds of situations. But he knew people who were. He took a page out of Hunk’s book and used food, or in this case boxed hot chocolate, as a form of comforting.

Shiro nodded, his gaze moving from Keith to the rising steam. Keith slowly sat beside him. Close enough to be in reach, but not so close that Shiro felt crowded or claustrophobic. Keith picked up his mug, holding it in his hands and letting the warmth loosen the tight muscles in them.

“Did you want to talk about…?” Keith asked open-ended, not sure how to address this. But Shiro knew.

“No.” Shiro said weakly, shaking his head. “Not today. Not yet.”

“Okay.” Keith said gently. He toed his shoes off, bringing his knees up to his chest. He blew on his hot chocolate before giving it a tentative sip. It was the in-between stage of scalding and just right. Shiro’s mug still sat on the table. Shiro sat limp like a doll.

Keith felt the itching need to fill the silence. He uncurled, grabbing the remote across the table. He scanned the available titles and settled on a cooking show. Something neutral and safe. He sipped his hot chocolate again, this time it was perfect. He grabbed the mug for Shiro off the table and held it out for him. Shiro gingerly took it from Keith, staring down into the contents.

Keith curled back up on the couch, taking slow sips and trying not to watch Shiro. He saw Shiro eventually raise the mug to his lips from his peripheral vision. Shiro took a long sip before resting it on his thigh, hand curled around the handle, and glanced at the TV.

They sat like that for hours. Keith finished his hot chocolate halfway through the first episode and got up to rinse it out in the kitchen. He offered to warm Shiro’s up but he just shook his head, taking a stubborn sip of the cooling liquid. They’d gone through at least four episodes, Shiro still holding onto the mug. But he seemed relaxed.

“I’m sorry.” Shiro said suddenly during the intro for the next episode. “I’m sorry for falling apart on you. You shouldn’t have to see me like that. Like this.” Shiro said, sighing and leaning forward to put his mug on the table.

“Shiro, you don’t have to apologize.”

“I just…” Shiro slumped, holding his head in his hands.

“I keep letting you down.” Shiro whispered.

“Shiro.” Keith commanded. Shiro instantly looked up and met his gaze. “That’s a fucking lie and you know it. You say that like you want me to agree with you but I won’t. I’ll admit I was hurt and angry that you never came to see me. That you basically avoided me. I don’t know why you did, but I know it wasn’t your intention to hurt me.”

“It really wasn’t.” Shiro said meekly.

“I know.” Keith said, putting his hand down on the couch cushion between them. “I know you’re hurting, losing-” Keith paused. “Losing so much. I understand.” Keith finished softly. Shiro nodded, dropping his gaze and staring at the coffee table. It seemed like he was retreating back into himself when he suddenly spoke up.

“I thought I had lost you too.” Shiro said with a sob. He was bent over, his hand covering his eyes and holding his forehead.

“We couldn’t reach you after that last blow, and then seeing Black fall to the earth after that thing exploded. And all I could do was watch.” Shiro began to cry in earnest. “All I could think was this is it. That I couldn’t handle losing you on top of everything else. I couldn’t…” But Shiro’s words were cut off by another round of sobbing. It was breaking Keith’s heart.

“Shiro, I’m right here, you didn’t lose me.” Keith pleaded, gently gripping Shiro’s thigh. But it had the opposite effect because Shiro began gasping for breath. Keith was torn between giving him physical space and latching onto him.

“Shiro, what do you need?” Keith asked, taking his hand off Shiro’s leg. “Please, tell me what to do. Let me help.”

The hand holding Shiro’s face fell, and still crying he reached out for Keith and croaked out “Stay.”

Keith nodded, and before he over thought it he straddled Shiro’s lap, wrapping his arms around Shiro and pulling him into a tight embrace. Shiro’s arms immediately went around him and he buried his head against Keith’s chest.

 

* * *

1.5

 

They didn’t talk about it after that day. Keith stayed with Shiro till that next morning. At some point in the night Shiro ended up with his head in Keith’s lap. The larger man curled up on his side with his face pressed against Keith’s stomach. Keith managed to doze off a few times, but never truly fell asleep. At one point his legs started to go numb, but he didn’t have the heart to move Shiro, so he managed.

Keith had always believed that romantic heartache was a thing of the mind. But he got it now. His chest felt heavy and he felt so alone, even with his most important person literally in his lap. He gently rubbed his fingers on a longer strand of Shiro’s hair, and a few stray tears made their way down Keith’s face. He wanted to run his fingers properly through the silky white hair, but wasn’t brave enough.

When Shiro woke up, his eyes were swollen and red. But despite looking wrecked, he smiled and greeted Keith like all was good. So they had coffee and breakfast before parting ways. Keith ran into Lance as he was leaving Shiro’s room, still obviously in yesterday’s clothes. Keith watched as Lance’s eyes went wide before he cracked a smile and made suggestive movements with his eyebrows. Keith couldn’t. He ducked his head and went on, shrugging off Lance’s arm when he tried to stop him.

Keith didn’t mean to start avoiding Shiro, they were all busy of course. But even when they weren’t Keith made sure to find something to keep him busy. And when Axha officially joined the Blade and asked him to go on an off-planet mission, he took it without a second thought. The team would be upset, but they’d understand. Besides, they still had a paladin for the black lion.

He didn’t realize though just how fucking strained and awkward things would get. Somehow he and Axha had become an item, and he dreaded Shiro finding out. So he ignored the messages Shiro sent. He felt like he was betraying Shiro somehow, and he couldn’t face him.

So when they returned to earth, of course, Shiro was the first person Keith ran into. The urge to run was strong, and he hated himself for it.

“Keith!” Shiro said, all smiles. “Welcome back!”

“Yeah, thanks.” Keith said, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets.

“How’ve you been? You stopped responding to my messages, so I was worried for a while there.” Shiro was still smiling, but there was an edge to it.

And that killed Keith. He instantly remembered Shiro’s breakdown, all the things he’d lost. And Keith hated himself so fucking much.

“Shiro, I-”

“Keith, there you are. Shiro.” Axha said, tipping her head at Shiro. Shiro awkwardly returned the gesture.

“The higher-ups are asking for you. The meeting started ten minutes ago.” She finished, tugging on the cuff of Keith’s uniform.

“Oh. Sorry, um…” Keith turned to face Shiro, his heart twisting with all the guilt and regret that still continued to grow.

“Shiro, I’m sorry.” Keith finally said. But Keith couldn’t pin down just one thing he felt guilt for.

Shiro nodded.

“I’ll see you later.” Shiro said evenly before turning and walking away.

It took Keith a moment to realize Axha was calling his name.

“Hey, are you okay?” She asked.

Keith watched as Shiro’s broad back disappeared around a corner.

“Let’s go.” He said.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope to have the next installment out within a week. Here's a sneak peek for pt 2-Cough Syrup:
> 
> “If I had to choose between saving you, or saving Allura, just know I’d choose Allura everytime.”  
> “What the fuck Lance?”  
> “Look, you’re my best friend and all but Allura’s the love of my life.” Lance said with a shrug.


End file.
